Beauty and Personal Care Trend Report: Search and Social Trends 2020/21

Consumer behaviour shifts and patterns in BPC from COVID-19 and beyond.

While lockdowns have meant that consumers are spending less time socialising, they’ve still expressed an interest in looking and feeling good. Different ways of living have also created new challenges for our bodies, with increased hygiene practices and the emergence of new skin concerns such as ‘mask-ne’ leading consumers to invest more time and money into keeping on top of their personal care — both physically and mentally.

It’s no coincidence that, as searches for ‘work from home’ increased 509% between February and March 2020, searches for ‘skincare’ also increased by 233% during the first lockdown period. With less need to wear makeup in social and work environments, consumers were (and still are) focussing on the basics of creating that perfect base. Beyond practicality, beauty and personal care have also taken on a more ritualistic sentiment, with many turning to personal care as a form of self-care.

It’s clear that our newfound appreciation for personal care won’t be left behind post-covid. To help you keep on top of the current state of the industry, our search and social experts have pulled together this overview on BPC shifts as a result of COVID-19, including:

• How COVID-19 changed sentiment towards personal care
• Which brands and ingredients consumers have been loving
• Shifts in taboos — from male cosmetics to hair removal